I’m following a marathon training plan that is 18-weeks long. I started it early and have a lot more time to train (22 weeks). How would you alter this 18-week training schedule? Thank you! –Nancy

It’s better to start out with a little extra time than not enough, so you’re in a very good place. There are two ways you can go, and either will help you make the most of the season without spending too much time in the peak phase of the training. Here’s what I suggest:

[Option 1] Maintain, don’t gain. The success of a marathon training season depends greatly on the base of mileage and overall fitness coming into it. Once you begin the training schedule, you’re on a structured upward progression for months. If you invest the next month in maintenance, you’ll assure you’re on a solid foundation when the training begins.

For example, if your first long-run distance for the training plan is six miles and you’re running five or six miles now, you could alternate long run distances from six to eight miles. Here is how that could go.

This weekend – six mile long run

Next weekend – seven mile long run

Following weekend – eight mile run

Final weekend – six or seven mile long run

This puts you at the perfect place once the Marathon training schedule begins. If you’re running less than that for your longer run, invest the four weeks to build it up to at least the starting distance of the first week of training.

On the maintenance plan, build your mid-week runs to at least the level of the first two weeks of the training plan. For instance, if it calls for three mid-week runs of five, six, and five miles, invest in building your mileage to five to six miles per each run. Or, if you’re already running five to six miles, bump it up to six miles two to three times during the week. Keep these running workouts at an easy to moderate effort, as the harder intensity workouts will come in time.

[Option 2]Get Insurance.My marathon training plans are 20 weeks in duration to allow plenty of time for illness, vacation, and off weeks. If something happens along the way (and it always does), it’s nice to have a few insurance weeks to play with to recover and get back on track. If you go with behind what’s behind door number two, you complete two maintenance weeks now (as described above), and then start the training program.

Then as you look at the building weeks, tentatively add in the two remaining weeks in between your longest runs. For instance, many plans have consecutive long runs on back-to-back weekends. You can add a week in between, say, a 16- and an 18-miler, and make it a cutback long run at eight to 10 miles for recovery. The mid-week mileage for this week would remain the same, but the weekend mileage would be less. Then add the second extra week in between the 18- and 20-mile long runs.

If something goes wrong during the season, you can easily play with these weeks and move them around. If you got sick and lose a week of training, you have a week to plug in to slowly merge back into it.

If you are going on a vacation and can’t get long run miles in, you can plug one of these weeks in and run shorter workouts, calling it a cutback week.

Remember the 18-week training plan is a template that you can make your own. Have fun with the extra time.